Monday 23 April 2012

Quote about Science

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.
Albert Einstein

Thursday 12 April 2012

Famous Scientist

Isaac Newton


An English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian, who has been "considered by many to be the greatest and most influential scientist who ever lived."His monograph PhilosophiƦ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, published in 1687, lays the foundations for most of classical mechanics. In this work, Newton described universal gravitation and the three laws of motion, which dominated the scientific view of the physical universe for the next three centuries. Newton showed that the motions of objects on Earth and of celestial bodies are governed by the same set of natural laws, by demonstrating the consistency between Kepler's laws of planetary motion and his theory of gravitation, thus removing the last doubts about heliocentrism and advancing the Scientific Revolution.


The Principia is generally considered to be one of the most important scientific books ever written, due, independently, to the specific physical laws the work successfully described, and for the style of the work, which assisted in setting standards for scientific publication down to the present time. Newton built the first practical reflecting telescope and developed a theory of colour based on the observation that a prism decomposes white light into the many colours that form the visible spectrum. He also formulated an empirical law of cooling and studied the speed of sound. In mathematics, Newton shares the credit with Gottfried Leibniz for the development of differential and integral calculus. He also demonstrated the generalised binomial theorem, developed Newton's method for approximating the roots of a function, and contributed to the study of power series. Newton's work on infinite series was inspired by Simon Stevin's decimals.Newton was also highly religious. He was an unorthodox Christian, and wrote more on Biblical hermeneutics and occult studies than on the subjects of science and mathematics. Newton secretly rejected Trinitarianism, fearing to be accused of refusing holy orders.


Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Newton


Albert Einstein

A German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history. He received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his services to theoretical physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect".The latter was pivotal in establishing quantum theory within physics.


Near the beginning of his career, Einstein thought that Newtonian mechanics was no longer enough to reconcile the laws of classical mechanics with the laws of the electromagnetic field. This led to the development of his special theory of relativity. He realized, however, that the principle of relativity could also be extended to gravitational fields, and with his subsequent theory of gravitation in 1916, he published a paper on the general theory of relativity. He continued to deal with problems of statistical mechanics and quantum theory, which led to his explanations of particle theory and the motion of molecules. He also investigated the thermal properties of light which laid the foundation of the photon theory of light. In 1917, Einstein applied the general theory of relativity to model the structure of the universe as a whole.


He was visiting the United States when Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933, and did not go back to Germany, where he had been a professor at the Berlin Academy of Sciences. He settled in the U.S., becoming a citizen in 1940.On the eve of World War II, he helped alert President Franklin D. Roosevelt that Germany might be developing an atomic weapon, and recommended that the U.S. begin similar research; this eventually led to what would become the Manhattan Project. Einstein was in support of defending the Allied forces, but largely denounced using the new discovery of nuclear fission as a weapon. Later, together with Bertrand Russell, Einstein signed the Russell–Einstein Manifesto, which highlighted the danger of nuclear weapons. Einstein was affiliated with the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, until his death in 1955.


Einstein published more than 300 scientific papers along with over 150 non-scientific works. His great intelligence and originality have made the word "Einstein" synonymous with genius.


Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein



 

Galileo Galilei







Borned 15 February 1564– 8 January 1642), was an Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher who played a major role in the Scientific Revolution. His achievements include improvements to the telescope and consequent astronomical observations and support for Copernicanism. Galileo has been called the "father of modern observational astronomy",the "father of modern physics", the "father of science", and "the Father of Modern Science".


His contributions to observational astronomy include the telescopic confirmation of the phases of Venus, the discovery of the four largest satellites of Jupiter (named the Galilean moons in his honour), and the observation and analysis of sunspots. Galileo also worked in applied science and technology, inventing an improved military compass and other instruments.


Galileo's championing of heliocentrism was controversial within his lifetime, when most subscribed to either geocentrism or the Tychonic system.He met with opposition from astronomers, who doubted heliocentrism due to the absence of an observed stellar parallax.The matter was investigated by the Roman Inquisition in 1615, and they concluded that it could only be supported as a possibility, not as an established fact. Galileo later defended his views in Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, which appeared to attack Pope Urban VIII and thus alienated him and the Jesuits, who had both supported Galileo up until this point.He was tried by the Inquisition, found "vehemently suspect of heresy", forced to recant, and spent the rest of his life under house arrest. It was while Galileo was under house arrest that he wrote one of his finest works, Two New Sciences. Here he summarized the work he had done some forty years earlier, on the two sciences now called kinematics and strength of materials



Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_Galilei






Stephen Hawking

A British theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author. His key scientific works to date have included providing, with Roger Penrose, theorems regarding gravitational singularities in the framework of general relativity, and the theoretical prediction that black holes should emit radiation, which is today known as Hawking radiation (or sometimes as Bekenstein-Hawking radiation).


He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a lifetime member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, and in 2009 was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States. Hawking was the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge between 1979 and 2009. Subsequently, he became research director at the university's Centre for Theoretical Cosmology.


Hawking has a motor neurone disease related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a condition that has progressed over the years. He is now almost completely paralysed and communicates through a speech generating device. He has been married twice and has three children. Hawking has achieved success with works of popular science in which he discusses his own theories and cosmology in general; these include A Brief History of Time, which stayed on the British Sunday Times best-sellers list for a record-breaking 237 weeks.

Wednesday 11 April 2012

Format of Experiment Question



      The last question in Paper 2 is usually question number 8, which carries 12 marks. This question will be based on an experiment where you have to write down:
  • Readings [Make sure the unit of measurement you use is correct]
  •   Variables
         a)  Constant variable [This is the fixed variable]
          b)  Manipulated variable [This is the factor that is changed in the experiment to get the specific result. ie: Length of wire (cm)]
          c) Responding variable  [This comes from the readings or the results of the experiment. ie: Ammeter reading]
  • Aim of experiment
    • Example: To study/investigate the relationship between the manipulated and the responding variable.
  • Hypothesis
    • This shows the relationship between the manipulated and the responding variable.
    • Writing format: "When the manipulated variable increases/decreases, the responding variable will increase/decrease."
  • Observation
    • What can be observed or what you can see.
  • Plot a line or bar chart
  • Prediction
    • This will be based on your graph, where you have to predict a reading for the responding variable when given a value for the manipulated variable.
    • Example of a question: From the graph, find out the value of T when the mass is 10g.
  • Inference
    • This is the early conclusion based on your observations.
    • Example: The change in the responding variable depends on the manipulated variable.
  • Conclusion This is the same as the hypothesis.


Note: It is very important to get your manipulated variable and the responding variable correct!
20 Little Known Facts About The Human Body

  1. A human being loses an average of 40 to 100 strands of hair a day.
  2. A cough releases an explosive charge of air that moves at speeds up to 60 mph.
  3. Every time you lick a stamp, you're consuming 1/10 of a calorie.
  4. A fetus acquires fingerprints at the age of three months.
  5. A sneeze can exceed the speed of 100 mph.
  6. Every person has a unique tongue print.
  7. According to German researchers, the risk of heart attack is higher on Monday than any other day of the week.
  8. After spending hours working at a computer display, look at a blank piece of white paper. It will probably appear pink.
  9. An average human drinks about 16,000 gallons of water in a lifetime.
  10. A fingernail or toenail takes about 6 months to grow from base to tip.
  11. An average human scalp has 100,000 hairs.
  12. It takes 17 muscles to smile and 43 to frown.
  13. Babies are born with 300 bones, but by adulthood we have only 206 in our bodies.
  14. Beards are the fastest growing hairs on the human body. If the average man never trimmed his beard, it would grow to nearly 30 feet long in his lifetime.
  15. By age sixty, most people have lost half of their taste buds. By the time you turn 70, your heart will have beat some two-and-a-half billion times (figuring on an average of 70 beats per minute.)
  16. Each square inch of human skin consists of twenty feet of blood vessels.
  17. Every human spent about half an hour as a single cell.
  18. Every person has a unique tongue print. Every square inch of the human body has an average of 32 million bacteria on it.
  19. Fingernails grow faster than toenails.
  20. Humans shed about 600,000 particles of skin every hour - about 1.5 pounds a year. By 70 years of age, an average person will have lost 105 pounds of skin.

Submitted By: The Mad Scientist

PMR SCIENCE EXAM OVERVIEW

The PMR science exam consists of two papers:
Paper 1 (40 marks)
· 40 objective questions.
· One hour to complete the paper.
· Cover all 27 Science topics from Form One to Form Three.
· There will be at least one question from each topic.
· The questions are broken down into:
1. 50% easy questions; that is about 20 questions.
2. 30% moderate questions; that is about 12 questions.
3. 20% difficult question; that is about eight questions.


Paper 2 (60 marks)
· Section A consists of six questions for 40 marks.
· Section B consists of two questions for 20 marks.
· Only questions from selected topics will be asked.
· Answers can be written all in English or all in
Bahasa Melayu or a combination of both language
[Please do not combine both languages in the same sentence!]
· You may answer part of the question in one language and
the other part in the other language.


· The questions are broken down into :
1. 50% easy questions; that is about 30 marks.
2. 30% moderate questions; that is about 18 marks.
3. 20% difficult questions; that is about 12 marks.


The type of questions commonly asked in Paper 2 are:
Labelling questions
Classification
-Questions based on experiments
-Chemical tests
-Calculation
-Principles of science
-Drawing
- Structured questions
- General questions


Click here for sample exam paper...



Sunday 8 April 2012

Tips and Technique for Self Study


Here’s some study tips for those of you starting to panic, worry, sweating, pressured etc etc.
First key
Focus 100% on only one thing at any time.
  • Concentrate fully on that task for that time. DO NOT allow anything to distract you, and that means NO sms, NO phone calls, NO chatting.
  • Let’s say you decide to learn 1 Chapter  – Pressure for the next 1 hour. Then please commit to Focus 100% on that for 1 hour.
  • Most people (and that includes adults too) live through distraction the whole day. The world is getting more and more ADD, probably due to more and more distractions in our lives. Therefore, many people do not realize the POWER and EFFECTIVENESS of focusing 100% on something, even though it’s only for a short period of time.





Second Key
Use Time Budgeting Technique.
  • Budget a time for your lesson. Let’s take the example of learning Chap 3 of Form 4 Physics – Pressure. Let’s say you decide to allocate 3 hours to complete the chapter, then stick to the 3 hours. Meaning you don’t give yourself excuses and do something else in that 3 hours. (toilet break is acceptable J)
  • It doesn’t matter whether the time allocated is enough or not. What matters is you learn the habit of FOCUSING 100% on a given task. I guarantee after FOCUSING 100% for 3 hours, you’ll definitely see significant improvement of understanding in that Chapter.
  • Please stop after 3 hours. Don’t over shoot your budgeted time. Learn to be disciplined.
  • You can be flexible – but please understand that if you’re always flexible with your time, you’ll not have enough time to finish your syllabus. Learn to balance flexibility with discipline.


 Third Key
Chunk Down your lessons.
  • Slice your budgeted 3 hours into smaller lessons. Preferably complete the lessons within a day or 2. Maximum 3 days if the chapter is long.
  • For example – you may decide to study 1 hour each lesson. You can study 1 hour in the morning, 1 hour in the evening and then another hour the next morning. (Remember to give 100% FOCUS to the subject matter in that 1 hour)


Fourth Key
Don’t sit.
  • That’s right, you heard me the first time. Stand up and look down at your books on the table, or hold the book up with your hands and read it standing over your desk. Do that periodically over your lesson time – I suggest to stand for 5 – 10 min. Or better still, hold the book or your notes and pace a while around your table.
  • Why? You’ll be less sleepy this way.


Firth Key
Create a study environment that you like.
  • If you like music, then study with music. If you like to munch snacks, then study with snacks. If you like cold, then study with the air-cond blasting. (BUT – please make sure you’re giving 100% FOCUS to your lessons and not your snacks!)
  • Try it out – You’ll be amazed with the Power of 100% Focus

Monday 2 April 2012

Introduction of Science

The word science comes from the Latin "scientia," meaning knowledge.  
What does that really mean?
 Science refers to a system of acquiring knowledge. This system uses observation and experimentation to describe and explain natural phenomena. The term science also refers to the organized body of knowledge people have gained using that system. Less formally, the word science often describes any systematic field of study or the knowledge gained from it.
What is the purpose of science? Perhaps the most general description is that the purpose of science is to produce useful models of reality.
Science can be separated to different field such as Biology, Chemistry, Physic and Earth Science.


Fields of Science

Here are many of the terms used to describe various fields of scientific study.
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Acoustics The study of sound.
AeronauticsAircraft design, construction, and navigation.
Agronomyscience of soil management and crop production
AnatomyThe study of organisms and their parts.
Anthropology The study of the origin, behavior, and the physical, social, and cultural development of humans.
Archaeology The study of past human lives by examining remaining material evidence.
AstronomyThe study of outer space.
Astrophysics The branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of stellar phenomena.
Bacteriology The study of bacteria, especially in relation to medicine and agriculture.
Biochemistry The study of the chemical substances and processes in living organisms.
BiologyThe science of life and living organisms
BotanyThe study of plants.
Cardiology The medical study of the heart.
CartographyThe art or technique of making maps or charts.
ChemistryThe science of the composition, structure, properties, and reactions of matter, especially of atomic and molecular systems.
CosmologyThe study of the physical universe considered as a totality of phenomena in time and space.
Crystallography The science of crystal structure and phenomena.
Ecology The study of organisms and their environment.
EmbryologyThe study of the formation, early growth, and development of living organisms.
Endocrinology The study of the glands and hormones of the body.
Entomology The scientific study of insects.
Enzymology The study of the biochemical nature and activity of enzymes.
Forestry The science and art of cultivating, maintaining, and developing forests.
GelotologyThe study of laughter.
Genetics The study of heredity and inherited traits.
Geochemistry The chemistry of the composition and alterations of the solid matter of the earth or a celestial body.
Geodesy The geologic science of the size and shape of the earth.
Geography The study of the earth and its features.
GeologyThe scientific study of the origin, history, and structure of the earth.
Geophysics The physics of the earth and its environment, including the physics of fields such as meteorology, oceanography, and seismology
Hematology The study of the blood and blood-producing organs.
Histology The study of the microscopic structure of animal and plant tissues.
Horology The science of measuring time and making time pieces
Hydrology The study of the properties and effects of water on earth.
IchthyologyThe study of fish.
Immunology The study of the immune system of the body.
Linguistics The study of language and phonetics.
Mechanics Design, construction, and use of machinery or mechanical structures.
Medicine The science of diagnosing and treating disease and damage to the body.
Meteorology The study of weather and atmospheric conditions.
Metrology The science of measurement.
Microbiology The study of microorganisms and their effects on other living organisms.
Mineralogy The study of minerals, including their distribution, identification, and properties.
Mycology The branch of botany that deals with fungi.
Neurology The study of the nervous system and disorders affecting it.
Nucleonics The study of the behavior and characteristics of nucleons or atomic nuclei.
Nutrition The study of food and nourishment.
Oceanography The exploration and study of the ocean.
Oncology The study of the development, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of tumors.
Optics The study of light and vision.
Paleontology The study of prehistoric life through fossils.
Pathology The study of disease and its causes, processes, development, and consequences.
Petrology The study of the origin, composition, structure, and alteration of rocks.
Pharmacology The science of the composition, use, and effects of drugs.
PhysicsThe science of matter and energy and interactions between the two.
Physiology The study of the functions of living organisms.
Psychology The study of the mental process and behavior.
Radiology The use of radioactive substances in diagnosis and treatment of disease.
RoboticsThe science of technology to design, fabrication, and application of robots.
SeismologyThe study of earthquakes.
Spectroscopy The study of radiant light.
Systematics The science of systematic classification.
Thermodynamics The study of relationships and conversions between heat and other forms of energy.
Toxicology The study of poisons and the treatment of poisoning.
Virology The study of viruses and viral diseases.
Volcanology The study of volcanoes and volcanic phenomena.
Zoologythe study of the structure, physiology, development, and classification of animals.